What leaders can learn from Pope Benedict XVI's resignationPope Benedict XVI's resignation is a reminder of just how tough leadership really is, says Nancy F. Koehn, a professor and historian. Neither business nor spiritual leaders are supermen, and it's important that they admit that to themselves. "I don't think this is primarily about age. I think it's really about energy and enthusiasm and a kind of physical, moral, intellectual and emotional verve -- an appetite," she said. "It's something that every leader is responsible for maintaining and feeding."Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network/Our Editors
(2/11),Forbes
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Crunching the NumbersYour passion may have led you into business, but tracking cash flow and other key numbers will help keep your company up and running. Read Boomtown: Think Like a Startup

Sales Strategies

Reducing the burden of Monday-morning conference callsSales team conference calls can be cumbersome, writes Ken Thoreson, who recommends software such as ZipBridge for making such calls easier for everyone involved. "With ZipBridge the leader launches the call for a group when he or she is ready, and everyone receives a call and is bridged together as they answer. No delays, looking up PINs or sitting on hold," Thoreson writes.YourSalesManagementGuru.com
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How sales managers can get effective feedbackSales managers should regularly offer coaching and feedback to their sales teams, and sales representatives should provide feedback to their managers as well, writes Richard Ruff. Managers should let salespeople know that feedback is welcome and use the input to help them improve their leadership, Ruff writes.SalesTrainingConnection.com
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Obama announces executive order on cybersecurityPresident Barack Obama says he has signed a cybersecurity executive order that aims to boost data sharing between the government and the private sector and to serve as a launchpad for best practices related to online security. "We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy," Obama said in announcing the order during his State of the Union address.The Hill/Hillicon Valley blog
(2/12),Computerworld/IDG News Service
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